The last video game Console will be a PC.
"Hey! You have PlayStation on this thing?" Scott shouted, having seen the black computer tower and maze of wires passing through the desk and branching out to the monitors and peripherals a desktop computer needs.
"Yea, and the Nintendo program too," Mike replied after appearing in the door way, "All of them are on there, got a lotta games too."
Now, this is a snapshot of the future of gaming, any gaming. Microsoft, Sony and perhaps even Nintendo will just be a mouse click away from jumping into the latest title games and an extensive library behind them from the past, with your choice of manufacturer wireless controller. There will be no more 'console' or 'pc' gamers, however fret not, the childish rivalry of what 'platform' is best will still remain. So the flame wars will still continue.
Now, the important question of 'Why will there be no consoles?'
That is easily explained through a bit of a history lesson, current news and a little bit of thought. So let us dive in with a bit of history of consoles of the past and the available PC's of the time for a reference towards how both have evolved, and that is an important part of gaming's future.
The history of the consoles from the beginning, and covering all the consoles is a large task and has been done with much more effort and passion than I am willing to type here. However, the Nintendo/Famicom is a good place to start as any.
Nintendo/Famicom home entertainment system. I use this as a jumping off point as it is the most recognizable console and the most wide-spread 'install base' of previous generations. While the Nintendo/Famicom was the beginning of the 3rd generation, it brought an awareness that home gaming was now part of the culture for better or worse.
Now, onto the meat of the argument, the technical specifications of the Nintendo and an average PC at the time:
- The 3rd Generation
Nintendo
1.7mhz CPU core
2.5kb Memory (Total)
0Mb Hard drive (No storage options, cartridge only)
IBM Personal Computer XT
4.77MHz CPU core
128kb Memory
10Mb Hard drive
These are general specs for computers, as multiple were available and higher price ranges with more power were as well. I chose a 'standard' popular model of the time.
The PC core is 4 times faster, the memory is 42 times more and the hard disk space is close to 100 times better, as some games had no memory and the storage required of games with saves barely went over the kilobyte range.
The numbers show that the PC has the better specifications. It does not mean the PC is better, but do take notice in the technical differences. The PC out performs on any numerical level, and is on average, a rough average 48 times more than the console's hardware offerings. Yet the Nintendo system was more popular than the PC for gaming.
- The 4th Generation.
Super Nintendo
3.58MHz CPU core
192kb Memory
0Mb Hard drive (No storage options, cartridge only)
Intel
25MHz CPU core (average)
4Mb Memory
100Mb Hard drive
Again. the numbers based on averages; CPU in the PC is 6 times better, the Memory is 20 times better and the storage is 100 times better. On average, the PC is 42 times better technically.
We begin to see, in a 10 year period, that the 'average' console -(The Sega was technically 'better', but not as popular as the Nintendo) has become to catch up with the advance of technology, dropping 6 points of average specs compared to the PC.
Let's jump ahead 10 years, to the 6th generation. I will be using the X-box versus the PC:
- The 6th generation
X-box
733MHz CPU core
64Mb Memory
8Gb Hard drive
PC
1.2GHz CPU core
512Mb Ram
10Gb Hard drive (20Gb and higher were available)
Just 10 years later we see vastly improved hardware between the two. The PC still out-steps the consoles with 2 times better CPU's, 8 times better memory and 1.25 times better hard drive storage. These numbers knock the hardware discrepancy down alot, making the PC just a measly 3.75 times better than a console.
I find this very interesting. Empirical evidence that the performance gap between PC's and Consoles is closing. The PS2 was a bit behind tech wise, but on average, PC's and Consoles are getting closer, closer to becoming identical in terms of gaming.
Now, we are going to jump through time again, to 2017-2018. To the release of the X-box 'Scorpio' as it is now dubbed and let's compare my PC specs to what we know of the Scorpio.
2017-2018) The 9th Generation
While the specifics of the Scorpio are still under wraps, we will now move onto speculation based from what we DO know about the new Console:
The XBox-Sc (Scorpio) boasts that it is 4.5 times powerful than the Xbox One. Meaning:
Xbox One
1.75Ghz 8 Core CPU
853Mhz GPU (Graphics card)
8Gb Memory
1Tb hard drive
Now, the question is do we multiply these specs by 4.5 times EACH, or that the system will be 4.5 times more powerful than the Xbox One as a total? We would be seeing a Console that looks like this, with each spec multiplied individually:
Xbox-Sc (Scorpio) [SPECULATION, NOT OFFICIAL!]
4.5ghz 8 core CPU
1.5Ghz GPU (Graphics card)
32Gb Memory
1-2Tb Hard drive and more (upgrades possible)
My PC
4.2GHz 8 core CPU
1.2GHz GPU (Graphics card)
24Gb memory
3.5Tb Hard drive space (Multiple)
I sit in amazement at how close they are, and perhaps the Scorpio will be better than my current PC at the moment. A console in 2017 out pacing a 3 year old decent PC. Astonishing!
Now, with PC gaming, I am a few years behind, as it was built in 2014 and upgraded in early 2016 (New Graphics card and Ram). A console that could be better than a 3 year old PC that I call a 'mid to high end PC'. Now, this is all just speculation, but clearly the Xbox-Sc will be NEAR or MORE powerful than my personal build PC circa '2015'. The technology gap has nearly closed.
Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will have support to play titles released on both the Console and the PC via Windows 10. That is just the first step in eventually leading to cross-platform play with some titles, the console will have some exclusive titles, but as time moves on the titles will be universally available on PC as well as the Xbox-Sc. Depending on how well the PC versions of the game sell, Sony may venture into a PC platform for games in a bid to reach a wider audience for their products.
I've laid out how the PC and Consoles have matched up over time, how the technology gap is quickly closing and will eventually disappear. Microsoft and Sony see this as a God-send, what it means for the future of gaming and their respective businesses and for their bottom line. The last nail in the coffin for consoles.
Microsoft and Sony pour billions of dollars into research for console development, what they need for specifications, cost and then development of the technology. Shipping, handling and tests. All of these things create a massive cost behind a console release.
Imagine that cost for development disappearing. They no longer have to spend billions on research for a system. Why, the technology they have developed for the Scorpio (and Sony equivalent) is JUST as good as a PC, perhaps better. Instead of spending Billions on research, let's give our friends at Nvidia/AMD/Intel/Seagate and see what bulk PC parts cost. It won't be billions of dollars in research, and a custom 'Xbox' case for all the parts isn't too hard to make. Why make new tech when you have the equivalent of what you would be making, ready to buy?
The two companies could easily build a 'console' from widely available parts, put that into a custom case for each respective company and load a custom Operating System. Done. Even if they sold them at the manufacturing costs for the console itself, they would already be billions of dollars ahead of the game. It's not only a logical decision to head this way, but it does make good financial sense as well.
What ever comes in the 10th generation of gaming, though many years down the road, those 'Consoles' will be just PC's with Sony or Microsoft skins on them. I'd be willing to bet you could put more memory in them (Ram), perhaps change out the Graphics card. At that point, there is no difference between the 'Console' and the 'PC'.
The last Console will be a PC.
Where does that leave gaming a decade down the road?
It leaves gaming looking like what PC gamers and some of what consoles have already. Origin, Steam and U-play, but with new contenders, Xbox, Playstation and potentially Nintendo. Each will have their own icon and launch program, and possibly a library of games inside already. It will no longer be competition between hardware, and gamers of any type will benefit from having games universally available. Gaming will get better from there, games will no longer be limited to a certain set of hardware, and the options of what to play will be limitless.
I want to play games, doesn't matter what system they are on. I want to have fun, be entertained, tune out or be presented with a new concept or idea to mull over for a period of time. It has been a pity that I can't experience all of what gaming has to offer without continuously shelling out for multiple new boxes every few years didn't make much sense. I see the console becoming a 'PC' as a good thing, everyone can enjoy more games and less bickering about the 'king of the hill'.
And when gamers can just game, gamers win. Doesn't matter what we play on, we all game.
A game is a game is a game.
*PS
I have not mentioned a new Nintendo console (The 'NX') for a good reason. Nintendo sees this coming and that is why they have bowed out of the Console 'race'. The NX had been reported to be a hybrid hand-held and console, a transition to a market where they have a monopoly.
*PS-S
These are my thoughts, what I have seen and some of the logic I went through. But, I could be wrong, these are just my thoughts on the matter in regards to gaming perhaps less than a decade down the road.